Starting With an Idea or Concept

Added on Friday 8 Jul 2011

Whenever the process of songwriting seems to become more of a craft and less of an art — more of a puzzle and less of a passion — it’s good to throw the tricks away (at least temporarily) and go back to the theme and concept.

Some of the greatest lyrics are remembered more for their idea or story rather than for their clever rhyme schemes, hooks, twists on the title, plays on words, or expanded clichés. A theme that matters to you can draw out some amazing emotions in, and often as, a sidelight. As a bonus, it helps you come up with some incredible titles, rhymes, and hooks.

Expanding the concept

After you have a concept — what the song is going to be about — you’ll want to elaborate on that concept and develop it into a story. Let your imagination run free. Make note of all that your imagination dictates to you — the stars, the clouds, the terrain, the glow of your dashboard dials. These are the images that will illuminate your lyric.

There are plenty of things to think about when developing your concept. When writing a screenplay for a movie, one of the tips in training is to decide how the story will end up before you even begin. And so it goes with developing the story for your song.